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Pacific Notes: Kraken, Bordeleau, Terrance

February 15, 2025 at 8:54 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

Due to a disappointing 24-29-4 record this season, the Seattle Kraken have been an oft-mentioned potential seller leading up to the trade deadline. With this in mind, Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times analyzed some potential trade candidates for the Kraken.

There weren’t many surprises in her article as Shefte noted Brandon Tanev, Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jaden Schwartz, and Andre Burakovsky as trade pieces for Seattle. All five players have been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the season largely due to the Kraken’s disappointing record.

Shefte did note forward Eeli Tolvanen and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, who hadn’t previously been mentioned in trade rumors before. In all fairness, it doesn’t seem likely that Seattle will move either player, given Tolvanen quickly re-upped on a two-year contract with the team last offseason and Oleksiak has a 16-team no-trade clause built into his contract.

Other Pacific notes:

Semi-regular San Jose Sharks’ forward Thomas Bordeleau is facing supplemental discipline at the AHL level. The AHL’s Player Safety Committee announced that Bordeleau is suspended for one game for cross-checking Colorado Eagles’ forward Chris Wagner on Wednesday. Due to the suspension, he’ll miss the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda game tonight.
In a scary incident in last night’s game between the OHL’s Erie Otters and Owen Sound Attack, Otters captain and Anaheim Ducks’ prospect Carey Terrance was taken to the hospital due to an injury. Approximately 12 hours later, the Otters announced that Terrance had been discharged from the hospital and would continue with the team on their current road trip.

Trade Deadline Primer: New Jersey Devils

February 15, 2025 at 7:01 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 3 Comments

With the 4 Nations Face-Off break here, the trade deadline looms large and is less than three weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New Jersey Devils.

A fully healthy Devils lineup is showing us exactly what they can do. New Jersey is safely positioned in a playoff spot entering the trade deadline after finishing bottom-five in the Eastern Conference last season. Still, the team is firmly set at the top for their forward core and defense, giving them little to add at the deadline. They have room to add in some areas but they won’t need too much heavy lifting to become a bona fide contender.

Record

31-20-6, 3rd in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$5.558MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: NJ 2nd, EDM 2nd, WPG 2nd, VGK 3rd, NJ 4th, SJ 6th, NJ 6th
2026: NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, NJ 3rd, DAL 4th, WPG 4th, NJ 5th, NJ 6th, NJ 7th

Trade Chips

Although they don’t have their first-round pick for the 2025 NHL Draft thanks to the trade that landed netminder Jacob Markström, the Devils have a trio of second-round picks they easily part with at the deadline. The Oilers’ second-round pick was acquired in the trade sending John Marino to the Utah Hockey Club this past offseason, and they landed the Jets’ second-round pick after trading Tyler Toffoli during last year’s deadline.

It’s inarguable where the Devils will trade from if they look to move prospects. New Jersey already carries one of the deepest blue lines in the league and has plenty of youngsters waiting in the wings.

Scoring three goals and 15 points in 20 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets, defenseman Seamus Casey likely has similar value to a first-round pick. A prospect of his caliber would normally be a lock for NHL minutes relatively soon but Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Simon Nemec are blocking most if not all of his minutes.

Beyond Casey, a recent first-round pick of the Devils, Anton Silayev, could also garner interest. He’s got a higher ceiling than Casey given his size and skating ability, but he’s still a few years away from being an NHL regular. Given the Devils’ immediate needs, neither defenseman strikes as a popular trade candidate for the deadline but New Jersey could make both available in the offseason for a high-impact move.

Team Needs

1) Third-Line Center: If the Devils need anything to supplement their roster, it’s a third-line center. Erik Haula has performed admirably, securing a 54.4% faceoff rate with over 500 attempts. Still, Haula is better served in a fourth-line role at this point of his career giving New Jersey a hole on their third line. Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens, who the Devils have already been linked to, would be the obvious choice as a rental candidate. Outside of Evans, New Jersey could look into the market for San Jose Sharks’ Luke Kunin, Utah’s Nick Bjugstad, and Trent Frederic of the Boston Bruins for a similar addition.

2) Additional Bottom-Six Depth: Despite specifically needing a third-line center, the Devils could generally use more depth in the bottom-six of their forward core. Paul Cotter and Stefan Noesen have been two of their better additions from the offseason but the Devils could stand to make the likes of Tomas Tatar a rotational piece. It wouldn’t be a game-changing add, but a winger such as Brandon Tanev, Michael Carcone, or Alexandre Texier could slightly move the needle when it comes to New Jersey’s playoff chances.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cale Makar Out With Illness, Thomas Harley Added To Roster

February 15, 2025 at 6:27 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 6 Comments

Feb. 15th: According to Friedman, Makar has officially been ruled out of tonight’s contest due to an illness. Team Canada has been allowed to add Harley to the roster, who will draw in for Makar this evening.

Feb. 14th: Team Canada could be without its best defenseman, Cale Makar when it takes on Team USA, also without its best defenseman, Quinn Hughes. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported this morning that Makar had missed today’s practice due to illness and that Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman Travis Sanheim was skating in his spot in the lineup.

It would ultimately be a massive blow to a Canadian team that has already lost defenseman Shea Theodore for the remainder of the tournament. Chris Johnston of The Athletic confirmed yesterday that Dallas Stars’ defenseman Thomas Harley was brought in on a stand-by role should Team Canada lose another defenseman.

Given the tournament’s rules, there was speculation that Harley wouldn’t be allowed to join the team. However, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the NHL and NHLPA concluded that Harley could travel to join the team in Montreal but would only be allowed to practice and/or play if Makar is officially ruled out.

That doesn’t appear to be a likely outcome. LeBrun later shared that Team Canada’s head coach, Jon Cooper, felt confident that Makar would be in tomorrow’s lineup.

Cooper’s confidence should assuage most doubts about Makar’s availability tomorrow night. The former Calder, James Norris, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner went scoreless over 28:06 in Team Canada’s opening night win over Team Sweden adding three blocked shots.

Oilers Not Planning To Ask Jeff Skinner To Waive No-Move Clause

February 15, 2025 at 5:14 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

When the Oilers signed Jeff Skinner to a one-year, $3MM contract after being bought out by Buffalo, the move received plenty of praise with Edmonton addressing the need for more scoring depth. However, things haven’t gone as planned since then. Not only did his addition squeeze the team’s cap situation which played a role in the successful offer sheets for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway but Skinner has struggled relative to expectations in 2024-25.

Skinner has been made a healthy scratch six times so far this season, all coming in the six weeks before the 4 Nations break. When he has played, he hasn’t been the most productive, notching 10 goals and 10 assists in 49 games. For context, the 32-year-old had managed at least 24 tallies in each of the last three seasons. Playing time has been harder to come by as well as he’s logging just 12:29 per night, by far the lowest ATOI of his career.

Given that Skinner’s fit hasn’t been the best so far, the fact that Edmonton doesn’t have a lot of cap flexibility, and the fact that their current GM isn’t the player who signed Skinner to this contract, some have wondered if Edmonton might try to cut bait with Skinner. However, GM Stan Bowman recently told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (subscription link) that he doesn’t envision that he will go to the veteran and ask him to waive his no-move clause which would seemingly scuttle any thought of a trade at this time.

Edmonton’s deadline plans will largely revolve around injured winger Evander Kane who has yet to play this season while recovering from multiple surgeries. At the moment, they project to only have $947K in cap space at the deadline, per PuckPedia, which obviously doesn’t give them much flexibility and puts them in a spot where they’d need to clear out money to make any sort of impactful addition, hence the speculation around Skinner.

But if Kane is unable to return this season, Edmonton would be able to go into LTIR which could free up around $5MM in extra spending room (the exact amount would vary depending on how close to the cap ceiling they could get at the time of placement), thus negating the need to clear out money. Bowman told Nugent-Bowman that there remains no update on Kane’s status but anticipates that they’ll have at least a bit of a better understanding of his recovery timeline by the time the trade deadline comes around.

For now, at least, the Oilers have to operate with very limited financial flexibility which will make adding anything of consequence at the trade deadline a challenge. But if they do need to move money out to facilitate a move, it doesn’t appear that Skinner will be the one losing his spot.

Ducks Terminate SHL Loan Agreement For Damian Clara

February 15, 2025 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Saturday: Clara’s next team is now known as Karpat in Finland’s Liiga announced that the netminder is joining them for the remainder of the season. He’s expected to report to the team on Sunday.

Friday: Generally, when an NHL-contracted prospect is loaned overseas, that loan is for the duration of the season. However, in rare occasions, the NHL club can try to end it prematurely. That appears to be the case for Ducks prospect Damian Clara. Originally on loan to SHL Farjestad, the team announced that at Anaheim’s request, Clara has been released to play elsewhere.

The Ducks drafted the 20-year-old 60th overall in the 2023 draft, making him the fifth goalie off the board. He spent that season with Farjestad’s junior team and while his numbers weren’t particularly strong (a 2.79 GAA with a .903 SV% in 35 games), the fact he stands six-foot-six and some of his raw tools made him a popular speculative sleeper pick heading into the draft. Clearly, Anaheim felt he had enough upside to be one of the first goalies taken.

Clara had a strong showing in 2023-24, putting up a 2.23 GAA with a .913 SV% in 34 games with Brynas of the second-tier Allsvenskan and was even better in the playoffs as they were able to gain promotion to the SHL this season. He did well enough to sign his entry-level deal back in June but was loaned out again for this season.

However, Clara returned to Farjestad instead of remaining with Brynas. This season, he had a 3.19 GAA with a .879 SV% in 21 outings, splitting time with former NHL goalie Maxime Lagace. However, Farjestad recently signed another former NHL netminder, Anders Lindback, making Clara the third-string option.

To that end, Farjestad’s release announced that the Ducks were terminating the loan agreement due to a lack of playing time. Where he plays next remains to be seen but they will need to decide quickly as the international transfer window closes at 4:59 PM CT on Saturday. If an international opportunity doesn’t present itself in the coming hours, it stands to reason that Clara would come to North America and report either to AHL San Diego or ECHL Tulsa.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Detroit Red Wings

February 15, 2025 at 2:16 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Red Wings.

Detroit Red Wings

Current Cap Hit: $85,238,023 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Simon Edvinsson (two years, $894.1K)
F Marco Kasper (three years, $886.7K)

Potential Bonuses
Edvinsson: $850K
Kasper: $1MM
Total: $1.85MM

Kasper’s first full NHL season has been solid thus far with the Red Wings not throwing a lot at him, allowing him to ease his way in. That doesn’t necessarily bode well for him from a bonus perspective but development-wise, it’s not a bad strategy. At this point, it would seem like a bridge contract would make sense for his next contract but a breakout effort next year could change those plans.

Edvinsson has certainly been an impactful blueliner in his first full NHL campaign. The offensive numbers don’t jump off the chart but defensively, he’s quickly becoming a core piece. Speculatively, he’s someone Detroit might want to bypass a bridge deal with in 2026 and if his production stays around the level it is now, he won’t be able to command top dollar. He could seemingly use Kaiden Guhle’s contract as a barometer ($5.5MM AAV for six years) although in a higher cap environment, the comparable could push past the $6MM mark on a deal of that length. Bonus-wise, he’s well on his way to reaching two of his four ‘A’ bonuses (ATOI and plus/minus) while he’s within striking distance hitting the other two with blocks and assists.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Jonatan Berggren ($825K, RFA)
D Albert Johansson ($775K, RFA)
F Christian Fischer ($1.125MM, UFA)
G Ville Husso ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Patrick Kane ($4MM, UFA)
G Alex Lyon ($900K, UFA)
F Tyler Motte ($800K, UFA)
D Jeff Petry ($2.344MM, UFA)*

*-Montreal is retaining $2.344MM on Petry’s deal while Pittsburgh is retaining an additional $1.563MM.

Potential Bonuses
Kane: $2.5MM

Kane’s second season with the Red Wings hasn’t gone quite as well as his first. After hovering near the point-per-game mark in 2023-24, he isn’t producing close to that level this year while dealing with some injuries. Nonetheless, the bonus-laden structure shields Detroit a bit. Speaking of those bonuses, he has already reached $1.5MM of those and if he stays healthy the rest of the way, he’ll get at least another $250K. The other $750K ($500K for making the playoffs and $250K for making the playoffs and getting 60 points) are less likely although if Detroit was to move Kane to a contender at the trade deadline, he could still reach that. With how this year has gone, a similar one-year deal could still be doable, perhaps with a bit less guaranteed money in there.

Fischer is having a rough year and while he has a track record of being a good fourth liner, a small dip into the six figures still seems likely for him. Berggren has arbitration eligibility and with a 28-point rookie season under his belt and being on pace for a similar number this year, doubling his current price tag could be doable. If Detroit doesn’t want to take the risk of an award from a hearing, he could be a non-tender candidate as well. Motte has been just above the minimum salary the last couple of years and although he’s a serviceable penalty killer, it’s possible he might wind up dropping to the minimum salary of $775K for next season.

For many years, Petry was a solid top-four defender who could handle top-pairing minutes when needed. That’s not the case anymore. He’s more of a fourth or fifth option at this point and at 37, there’s a risk of the decline being fairly steep. Accordingly, he’s likely looking at going year-to-year now. Something around the price that Detroit is responsible for on his current contract might be reasonable with some incentives pushing the potential total past the $3MM mark as well. Johansson is in his first NHL season and has had a limited role thus far. He’s arbitration-eligible as well which should allow him to get more than his $813K qualifying offer. Something a little closer to the $1MM mark could be doable.

Lyon has become quite a bargain for Detroit. Originally viewed as a third-string option, he took over as the starter last year and has improved on those numbers this season albeit in more of a backup role. With the way the market has gone for higher-end backups lately, a short-term deal around the $3MM mark is where his market could fall. Husso, on the other hand, was supposed to be the starter when acquired but has played his way down to third-string status. It’s hard to see him getting an offer to be a backup goalie this summer but because he has done well in the minors and has a bit of a track record in the AHL, he could land a deal similar to what Lyon’s getting now, a one-way pact worth more than the minimum to be an experienced third option.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Ben Chiarot ($4.75MM, UFA)
D Erik Gustafsson ($2MM, UFA)
D Justin Holl (3.4MM, UFA)
G Cam Talbot ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Vladimir Tarasenko ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Joe Veleno ($2.275MM, RFA)

Tarasenko had to settle for a one-year deal in 2023 and, despite having a solid season, he didn’t seem to have a strong market last summer, yielding this two-year pact at a small pay cut instead. This season hasn’t gone well for the 33-year-old and it’s possible that Detroit looks to try to move him to get out of the second year of the contract. If this production carries over into next season, he could be dropping closer to the $3MM range on his next deal. Veleno has never been able to carry over his offensive success in junior to the pros although he has become a capable checker. His deal is a little front-loaded, meaning the qualifying offer only checks in at $1.75MM which is notable as if his usage continues as more of a fourth liner, that’s more of the price range he should be in. He’ll be arbitration-eligible and a likely non-tender candidate if a deal can’t be reached by the start of the 2026 free agent period.

Chiarot’s contract drew some ire when it was signed a couple of years ago as a high price for someone who’s probably best served in a fourth role. He plays enough to make the price tag somewhat reasonable although for someone who doesn’t contribute a lot offensively, it’s still on the high side and it’s one Detroit could try to get out of if they want to open up some flexibility this summer. He’ll be 35 for his next trip on the open market and it’s hard to imagine he’d get this type of money again. A deal with an AAV starting with a three might be more plausible.

Holl’s contract seemed like quite an overpayment given his limited usage late in his time with Toronto. Unfortunately for them, that has largely been the case. He cleared waivers in October but has spent most of the year with Detroit in a limited role. He’s a possible buyout candidate or could be moved with retention. Either way, his next deal might not be worth half of this one. Gustafsson had a strong year with the Rangers which allowed him to get a multi-year contract for the first time since 2018. He hasn’t produced at the same level with the Red Wings but the cost is low enough that it shouldn’t be much of a burden. He’ll need to pick up the pace in terms of his points though as otherwise, he’s probably back in the year-to-year territory with a cost closer to half of what he’s making now.

Talbot opted for the security of a two-year deal last summer over going year-to-year which, at 37, probably wasn’t a bad strategy for someone viewed as more of a platoon option at this point. He has been more than that for Detroit as he has been their primary netminder while putting up numbers above league average. That said, if there’s another contract coming, it’d be for his age-39 year so the cost will likely be low even if he keeps up this level of performance.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Andrew Copp ($5.625MM, UFA)
F Alex DeBrincat ($7.875MM, UFA)

DeBrincat and the Red Wings couldn’t work out a long-term deal after he was acquired so the sides settled on a medium-term pact instead. It’s working out reasonably well so far although the price tag is a little high for someone whose production is in the lower-end range for a top-line winger. That said, by the time DeBrincat reaches free agency (when the salary cap is much higher), he could still be in line for a raise if he stays in the 25-30-goal, 60-plus-point range. Copp received this contract coming off a career year, one he hasn’t been able to repeat since then. He’s more of a bottom-six pivot getting paid as a second-liner which isn’t great value but he is a valuable secondary piece nonetheless.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F J.T. Compher ($5.1MM through 2027-28)
F Dylan Larkin ($8.7MM through 2030-31)
F Michael Rasmussen ($3.2MM through 2027-28)
F Lucas Raymond ($8.075MM through 2031-32)
D Moritz Seider ($8.55MM through 2030-31)

Larkin has never reached the point-per-game mark in his career though he came quite close in 2022-23 which is when this deal was signed. In the current cap landscape, it feels like this is a bit of an overpayment but with the big jump coming in the salary cap over the next few years, that shouldn’t be the case for too long. Raymond skipped the bridge contract last summer though it took until right before training camp to get it done. The early returns have been promising as he’s on pace for another career year while he’s still only 22. If he keeps this up, this will become a team-friendly deal pretty quickly.

Compher was GM Steve Yzerman’s other big swing to add an impactful middleman in recent years. He wasn’t too far off his career-bests in his first year with the Red Wings which was a decent first impression although things aren’t going as well this season. If he can get back to his 2023-24 performance, this deal should hold up okay. Rasmussen’s contract is almost like a longer second bridge deal. It gives both sides a bit of security but is one that should be movable if things don’t go well. The 2017 ninth-overall pick probably isn’t going to live up to his draft billing but all he needs to do to justify this contract is hold his own on the third line. So far, so good on that front. But he’ll need to show more offensively if he wants to beat this deal on the open market down the road.

Seider was an impactful player right from the get-go, taking home the Calder Trophy in his rookie season while recording 42 points in the next two. On top of that, he was an all-situations piece from the beginning. That made a bridge deal quite unlikely. Like Raymond, it took a long time for it to get done but eventually, the two sides settled on this, a price tag very close to the one Brock Faber signed for his extension with Minnesota. Generally speaking, when a player skips the bridge contract and goes to the long-term one, the first year or two of the new deal might be a bit of an overpayment with the hope he’ll outplay the price tag by the end. Seider is already playing up to the price tag of this contract and with the cap jumping considerably soon, this could become a team-friendly pact fairly quickly.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

F Justin Abdelkader ($1.056MM through 2025-26)
F Kailer Yamamoto ($533.3K in 2024-25)

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Lyon
Worst Value: Husso

Looking Ahead

Detroit will hit the trade deadline with around $2MM in cap room (equivalent to over $9MM in room on deadline day), at least on paper. Knowing that Kane has hit $1.5MM of his bonuses already with a shot at a bit more and Edvinsson being within striking distance of his $850K as well, that money is pretty much already accounted for unless they’re willing to take the overage penalty next season. How these next few weeks go will ultimately determine whether it’s worth adding and taking what’s likely to be a $2MM-plus penalty or if they should sell and finish the year with enough room to absorb those bonuses.

The Red Wings should have some flexibility moving forward though. They have around $25MM in room on next year’s cap with only seven or eight spots to fill and only one pricier player (Kane) to re-sign or replace. The following year, several of their pricier mid-tier contracts come off the books. Better days should be on the horizon from a cap perspective as a result.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Atlantic Notes: Tarasenko, Tomkins, Kozak

February 15, 2025 at 12:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

While the Red Wings have played their way back into the playoff battle, one veteran who hasn’t had a big hand in their recent success is winger Vladimir Tarasenko. Accordingly, even if Detroit acts as a buyer over the next few weeks, MLive’s Ansar Khan argues that the team should be looking to move the 33-year-old anyway and if it doesn’t happen, then they should consider making him a buyout candidate this summer. Tarasenko has just seven goals and 15 assists through 53 games this season in a little under 15 minutes a night of playing time. As someone who has reached the 20-goal mark in eight of the last 11 years, it’s fair to say Detroit was expecting more than that for their $4.75MM commitment through next season. It would be tough to offload that contract in its entirety but a swap of underachievers might be the way to for the Red Wings, as long as Tarasenko, who has a full no-trade clause, approves the deal.

PHR Mailbag: 4 Nations, In-Season Tournament, Midseason Break, Suspensions, Schenn, Sabres, Capitals, Montembeault

February 15, 2025 at 11:07 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 10 Comments

With the 4 Nations Face-Off now underway, our latest mailbag focuses on that with a couple of other topics sprinkled in. If your question doesn’t appear here, check for it in one of our next two mailbags.

Black Ace57: It feels like the only people excited for the 4 Nations are media members promoting it. It doesn’t compare to the World Juniors or the Olympics. Instead of trying to copy other international tournaments has the NHL considered doing anything like the NBA in-season tournament?

This was something that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about before and while he didn’t come out with an outright no, it doesn’t seem to be something they’d seriously consider. It’s also a bit of a scheduling nightmare as the NBA has to do part of its schedule midseason as all of the teams eliminated from contention have to have a couple of games scheduled on short notice. If they can do it, the NHL can but that would undoubtedly be cited as a reason against trying it.

The NBA’s in-season tournament has only been around a couple of years but I feel like this season lost a lot of its intrigue from the first. From the pieces of games I saw, it’s not as if teams were playing any harder with the potential of moving on in the tournament. It all felt a little too random so I’m not sure copying that format is the right way to go, not unless its popularity really rises in the future.

What the NHL could do if they wanted to do something to dress up some regular season games could be some regional challenges. The seven Canadian teams have six games designated as Canadian Challenge Cup games and the team with the most points out of those wins a trophy and the players get a small bonus. The three California-based teams have two head-to-heads against each rival designated as a mini tournament, stuff like that where it’s not just a random grouping. It certainly doesn’t work to put all 32 teams into a logical region though so it’s far from a perfect idea.

They could also group by division (instead of random groups like the NBA does) and just designate a certain number of games as ‘tournament’ matchups. There are options if they want to do something, I’m just not sure it’s actually worth them doing anything with this.

Pyramid Headcrab: What’s the real reason for the winter break every season? Obviously, players need a break from travel, and fair dinkum… But is that something they negotiated in the collective agreement? Or does the break exist for a different, but equally practical, reason?

Cuz I think we all know nobody cares about the All-Star Game or the Four Nations Whatever.

This isn’t a direct CBA element but is actually related to the All-Star Game. When the change was made to go to a three-on-three format, the NHL had to agree to this as a concession to get the NHLPA to agree to the format switch as, in theory, there’s a lot more skating involved at three-on-three. (In reality, the All-Star Games aren’t played at remotely close to full speed but I digress.)

In general, the idea is that without the bye week, the NHL’s top stars don’t exactly get a lot of rest. They play to the break, fly in for the All-Star event, then are back in action a couple of days later and some feel that’s not fair to them. By doing the bye weeks, they ensure that the stars at least get some time off while it’s around the time of year when all teams could benefit from some extra days off to heal up some of the nagging aches and pains.

As for no one caring about the All-Star Game, I disagree. It has an audience it caters to, it’s just not so much the established fans. They try to promote things for the younger demographic that they’re trying to hook as fans while there’s a major corporate element to it as well with a lot of the league’s top sponsors being involved. As long as those two things are in play, the All-Star Game will continue…even next season when the in-season break will be even longer for the Olympics.

FearTheWilson: If a player happens to receive a suspension during the Snore Nation’s tournament, does the suspension carry over to the NHL season or does it count towards international play?

The 4 Nations Face-Off is not an IIHF-sanctioned event. That’s why there’s no break in those leagues for players (or coaches) to possibly take part which is what made this an NHL-only tournament. Accordingly, any suspension would be applied against NHL games, not international.

While we’re on the subject of not being IIHF-sanctioned, it doesn’t seem as if the 2028 World Cup event will be either. That will likely complicate things for some of the countries that don’t quite have enough NHL players to form a full roster. In a press conference earlier this week, Bettman alluded to needing to “work with each country’s federation to find a balance” when it comes to player participation so there are going to be some hurdles to clear for three years from now.

Gmm8811: Is there a roster freeze during the 4 Nations? Can trades still be made? Where would be the best fit for Brayden Schenn if he waives his NMC? Realistic return for him?

Since this question was posted, we have seen a very minor trade which kind of answered this one for me already. But there is no roster freeze and teams are free to make any moves as long as they remain compliant with the salary cap and roster rules (teams have to have two goalies, six defensemen, and 12 forwards on their active roster). I’ll be honest, I thought we’d see another trade or two by now so that when teams come back to practice next week, the potential acquisition would get lots of practice time. Of course, I also suspect that teams were quietly discouraged against doing anything that would take attention and focus away from the tournament so maybe that’s playing a role as well.

Now, onto a couple of non-tournament questions for now before getting back to them later on. Staying in the Central Division is probably the best fit for him. Colorado has been looking for center help since they lost Nazem Kadri and Schenn doesn’t quite have the offense Kadri did now but he’d still be quite impactful. Winnipeg has been looking for a longer-term second middleman for years now with minimal success. And Minnesota has a genuine need for more center depth at a minimum and with continued whispers about Marco Rossi that don’t seem to be going away (despite GM Bill Guerin trying to tone that down a while back), adding Schenn would at least give them some more flexibility if they wanted to do something with Rossi. I could even make a case for Utah here. I know trading a core player within the division doesn’t happen a lot but there are enough strong fits that could net St. Louis a strong return.

As for that return, I think it’s fair to say that it would start with a first-round pick. Yes, a $6.5MM price tag through 2027-28 for a 33-year-old is a little high but with the big jump coming in the salary cap, it becomes a lot easier to absorb. Not to the point where it’s an asset by any stretch but it shouldn’t be a deterrent now. It wouldn’t shock me if they were to land another first-round-caliber asset either though not necessarily a draft pick but rather a prospect or young player who’s either in the NHL or close to being ready. I doubt the Blues are going to flip the switch to do a long-term rebuild so an all-futures return doesn’t seem likely. It also wouldn’t shock me to see them take a veteran player back to help offset some of the money as I doubt they’re going to retain salary to make a move happen. It’s a big price but with the dearth of quality centers available, I think they could get it if they move him.

sabres3277: Do you believe the Sabres will make the inevitable GM change during the break to allow an interim GM to handle the trade deadline? I think this could happen because Adams is clearly out of his league when trying to make deals etc. The fanbase has had it with the incompetence that he has shown in trying to end this disgraceful playoff drought.

It hasn’t happened yet so it’s safe to say that it’s not going to happen. Frankly, if a team had concerns about their general manager, they wouldn’t let that person stay in place this close to the trade deadline. By all accounts, Kevyn Adams has been working the phones in recent weeks on the trade and contract front so this is his team to lead through the deadline.

While the Flyers are a recent notable exception, general managers generally don’t get let go right around the deadline. Instead, changes like that often come after the regular season ends. If Buffalo does decide to make a change at the GM position, I think it will be made in April as the playoffs are about to start. Doing something now would surprise me.

letsgonats: Did teams use 4 Nations roster selection like the recent expansion drafts? Trade away draft picks so teams would not pick players. What did the Caps pay to not have Tom Wilson, Logan Thompson, Jakob Chychrun, and John Carlson from being selected so they could rest for the end of the year?

Alright, back to the 4 Nations questions. You may recall that the rosters were picked more than two months ago. Yes, Washington was tied for the conference lead in the standings at that time but it’s fair to say there was still a healthy amount of skepticism about whether this was a team on the rise or just off to a hot start. I think that perception didn’t help things.

But let’s look at the individual players. Thompson had only played 13 games at that point with Washington in full platoon mode between the pipes at that time which I think hurt his candidacy. His numbers were decent then but not what they were now either. He’s the biggest omission of the four you listed though as merit-wise, he should be there. Wilson is having a solid season, yes, but on Canada’s roster, the best he would have been is on the fourth line. Clearly, they went with safer options there given his penchant for penalty trouble so the fact he wasn’t named doesn’t surprise me too much.

For the blueliners, Chychrun is having himself a career year but he was also coming off a tougher campaign with Ottawa and clearly, 2023-24 performance played a role in some of their roster picks. You could make a case that he should be there ahead of Travis Sanheim but we’re quibbling about a player who was supposed to be the seventh defenseman. That’s not an egregious oversight and I imagine Chychrun received some consideration. Carlson’s omission was surprising to me at first glance but who out of Zach Werenski, Brock Faber, Adam Fox, or Charlie McAvoy was he going to beat for one of the spots allocated for a right-shot defender? Maybe McAvoy but again, we’re haggling over a depth spot that would have had several players, including Carlson, considered for it.

I don’t think there was any side agreement for the Capitals not to have any players taken. Instead, it was a combination of perception about Washington being a so-so team off to a great start more than anything else plus the various federations feeling there were better fits for the depth positions some of those players would have filled. I’d have had Thompson on Canada’s roster if it was up to me but that’s the only major omission out of these four.

usaKesler: How on earth did Sam Montembeault get selected for the 4 Nations All-Star circus? It’s very suspicious.

There were a lot of mediocre goalies to choose from and he happened to get one of the spots. If you were picking the team now, how many of the three Canadian netminders would be there? Would any of them still be on it? I’m not so sure. That was part of the problem with having the rosters picked two-plus months before the tournament even started.

There are a couple of reasons why I think Montembeault got the last spot. He had shown marginal improvement over the last couple of years and had stolen quite a few games for Montreal. Considering that last year’s performance clearly was a factor in the decision-making, that’s probably a factor. So too was the fact he was Canada’s starter at the 2023 Worlds (Jordan Binnington was last year and he’s also on the team) and played quite well at that event. If you think there’s something suspicious, perhaps he got the advantage because he said yes to the Worlds, an event Canada has a hard time getting people to play at?

Earlier this week in a piece for Sportsnet, Adam Vingan took a deeper look at the numbers for Canada’s three netminders and the general conclusion was that Montembeault had the strongest statistical case to be the starter even though that was the least likely outcome. Again, I’d have had Thompson on the team (in Montembeault’s spot) but with who they have, I don’t think his presence on the roster is that crazy or suspicious.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Trade Deadline Primer: Nashville Predators

February 15, 2025 at 9:59 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

Things were not supposed to be like this in Nashville. After a stellar second half to last season, the Predators were one of the most active teams in free agency, signing a trio of core players to long-term contracts, making them a trendy preseason pick to be a safe playoff team, if not a viable contender in the Western Conference. Instead, they currently sit 18 points out of a Wild Card spot, meaning they’re likely to be on the outside looking in, barring a fantastic run like they had a year ago.